HOMILY FOR 30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME—C

JESUS’ GOSPEL TODAY WARNS US THAT PRIDE GOES BEFORE THE FALL.  THE CHRIST IS NOT TELLING US ANYTHING REALLY NEW.  EVEN THE PAGANS RECOGNIZED THAT.  THE GREEK FABULIST AESOP TELLS OF TWO ROOSTERS WHO WERE FIGHTING FIERCELY TO SEE WHICH WOULD BE THE BARNYARD BOSS.  THEY WENT AT IT BEAK AND SPURS AND FINALLY ONE WAS DEFEATED AND WENT IN SHAME TO HIDE BEHIND THE BARN.  THE CHAMPION ROOSTER, JUST PLEASED AS PUNCH WITH HIMSELF, FLEW TO THE TOP OF THE CUPOLA ON THE BARN AND CROWED JUST AS LOUDLY AS HE COULD TO PROCLAIM HIMSELF THE CHAMPION.  BEING IN PLAIN VIEW ON THE TOP OF THE BARN, THE CIRCLING HAWK HAD NO TROUBLE DIGGING HIS TALONS INTO THE ROOSTER AND GETTING SOME KFC TAKEOUT FOR DINNER THAT NIGHT.  THE DEFEATED ROOSTER THEN CAME OUT FROM BEHIND THE BARN AND TOOK POSSESSION OF THE BARNYARD.  THE GOSPEL THIS SUNDAY IS ABOUT A PHARASITICAL ROOSTER WHO BOASTS OUT OF PRIDE AND A DESPISED ROOSTER WHO PRAYS ABJECTLY OUT OF REMORSE.   JESUS TELLS US WHICH ONE GOD FAVORS.

THIS WAS A TOUCHY SUBJECT SINCE TAX COLLECTORS WERE LOATHED BACK IN THOSE DAYS FOR TWO REASONS.  FIRST, THEY WERE COLLECTING TAXES FOR THE ROMANS WHO WERE THE HATED OCCUPYING FORCE IN ISRAEL AT THE TIME.  REMEMBER IT WAS A ROMAN PROCURATOR WHO CONDEMNED JESUS TO CRUCIFIXION.  SECOND, THEY NOT ONLY COLLECTED THE TAXES THAT WERE DUE, BUT THEN SOME.  THE WAY THE DEAL WORKED WAS THIS.  THE ROMAN GOVERNOR WOULD SAY THAT A CERTAIN CITY OWED SO MUCH IN TAXES.  THE TAX COLLECTOR WOULD THEN PAY THAT ENTIRE SUM TO THE GOVERNOR MAKING THE ROMANS HAPPY.  THEN THE TAX COLLECTOR WOULD GO TO THE CITIZENS OF THAT CITY AND MAKE THEM PAY HIM THE TAX OWED PLUS WHAT THE MAFIA TODAY CALLS THE “VIG”, A LITTLE EXTRA SO TO SPEAK TO COVER EXPENSES, AS TONY SOPRANO MIGHT SAY, AND THEN SOME.  SO THE CITIZENS ENDED UP PAYING A LOT MORE THAN THEY ACTUALLY OWED.  IMAGINE HOW WE WOULD FEEL IF THE IRS COME TO US AND SAID YOU OWE THIS MUCH BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY EVEN MORE BECAUSE, FOR STARTERS, WE’LL BREAK YOUR LEGS IF YOU DON’T.  THE TAX TO THE ROMANS, BY THE WAY, WAS ACTUALLY ADDING INSULT TO INJURY SINCE THE JEWS HAD ALREADY PAID THE TEMPLE TAX.  THAT TAX WAS NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT EITHER.

IT SEEMS THAT THE PHARISEE WAS RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY.  HE DID EVERYTHING RIGHT; IN FACT HE DID MORE THAN THE LAW DEMANDED.  HE FASTED, HE PAID TITHES TO THE TEMPLE, HE DID NOT COMMIT ADULTERY AND HE WAS NOT GREEDY.  AND HE PRAYED TO GOD AS WE HEAR IN TODAY’S GOSPEL.  BUT NOTE CAREFULLY WHO THE PRAYER IS ABOUT.  IT IS NOT ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL GOD IS BUT HOW WONDERFUL THE PHARISEE IS.  THE PHARISEE DID THE WORKS, WALKED THE WALK YOU MIGHT SAY, BUT DID NOT THINK THE THOUGHTS.  THE TAX COLLECTOR, DESPISED THOUGH HE WAS AND DESPISED PROBABLY FOR VERY GOOD REASON, KNEW WHO GOD WAS, WHO HE WAS AND WHO WAS THE BOSS.  HIS PRAYER SAYS SOMETHING TRUE ABOUT GOD, NAMELY THAT GOD IS MERCIFUL, AND SOMETHING TRUE ABOUT HIMSELF, NAMELY THAT HE IS A SINNER.

IN REAL LIFE, PROBABLY MOST OF US ARE A LITTLE BIT OF THE PHARISEE AND A LITTLE BIT OF THE TAX COLLECTOR SO BOTH THESE GUYS CAN TEACH US SOMETHING.  THE PHARISEE CAN TEACH US THAT RELIGIOUS PRACTICES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT NOT ENOUGH.  THEY MUST ALWAYS BE PERFORMED IN HUMILITY AND WITH THE GOAL OF DEEPENING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.  WALKING THE WALK MUST BE LINKED WITH THINKING THE THOUGHT.  THE TAX COLLECTOR CAN TEACH US THAT GOD DOESN’T ONLY OFFER SALVATION TO THE RIGHTEOUS BUT ALSO TO THE SINNERS.  BUT THE SINNER MUST REPENT AND SEEK FORGIVENESS AND THEN WHEN THAT FORGIVENESS COMES, AS IT MOST CERTAINLY WILL, THEN THE TAX COLLECTOR PART OF US MUST JOIN WALKING THE WALK TO THINKING THE THOUGHT.

IN SHORT, A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD INVOLVES ALL PARTS OF OUR BEING AS HUMANS.  WE MUST THINK IN THE APPROPRIATE WAY, KNOW THAT GOD IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT.  THEN WE MUST ACT IN A WAY THAT REFLECTS THAT INSIGHT.  WE MUST FOLLOW GOD’S LAW AND GIVE HIM THE WORSHIP THAT IS DUE HIM.

WALK THE WALK AND THINK THE THOUGHT.   THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL ASSIST IF WE BUT ASK.